Meet The Team

Our senior team retains a hands-on approach to the business, designing, testing and qualifying systems at our offices and on-site, with many having offshore qualifications and experience.

Our ethos is to create a working environment that allows each member of staff the freedom to innovate and take responsibility for seeing through new ideas. This means that we attract some of the brightest and most original design engineers, giving us a fantastic platform on which to build.

Dr Mike Armstrong

Managing Director

Mike began his career as a Systems Analyst with Philips in the Netherlands, before returning to Leeds University as a Senior Lecturer at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Moving to Isotek in the 1980s he has focused on the offshore oil and gas industry, specialising in pipeline repair and intervention. He has been involved in many ground-breaking projects during this period, and has built valuable long-term relationships with customers, based on Isotek’s ability to collaborate and deliver difficult projects successfully. Mike spends the majority of his time on-site with customers and has particular expertise in writing detailed qualification specifications to ensure that products meet strict approval standards.

Dr Trevor Barton

Technical Director

Trevor gained his undergraduate degree at the University of New South Wales, Australia, before moving to the UK to study for his PhD. Following a period as Hewlett Packard Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, Trevor joined Isotek in 1992 and has been instrumental in the design, test and commissioning of all Isotek’s projects to date. Trevor has wide-ranging experience in electronics and embedded software across subsea control, welding , robotic and monitoring systems. He leads a team of electrical and electronic engineers who can design and build anything for any environment and likes nothing more than giving them that challenge.

Robert Boggs

Software Engineering Director

Robert graduated from the University of Leeds and formally joined Isotek in 1992. He is the main software and systems architect for the company, working closely with the customer and our own engineers to ensure that the Man-Machine Interface is operationally compliant and robust. He has a breadth of software skills covering real-time control, systems design and analysis and programming in a range of languages. His experience in designing robust systems for challenging environments makes him and his team an invaluable asset to the business and its customers.

Dr Greg Firth

Mechanical Engineering Director

Greg studied at the University of Leeds for both undergraduate and PhD degrees, and worked in the field of automotive dynamics before joining Isotek in 1993. Greg manages a team of skilled mechanical engineers and draughtsmen who have combined expertise in disciplines including precision manufacturing, stress analysis and design, prototype and testing. He is respected by customers for his innovative approach to subsea mechanical tooling and automation for pipeline repair and maintenance and for his project management skills.

Simon Fripp

General Manager

Simon graduated from the University of Southampton with a degree in Electrical engineering and has spent his career working in production engineering, project management and operational management across a range of sectors including military avionics and wireless telecoms. He has taken further training with the Association of Project Management and the Institute of Directors, gaining skills that ensure he delivers projects and support that exceed customer expectations. At Isotek, he is responsible for working closely with customer on a project basis within a multi-disciplinary environment, building long-term relationships and ensuring that projects run smoothly.

Dr Neil Woodward

Welding Specialist

Neil followed a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a career in fracture mechanics design and test for satellite propellant tanks for the European Space Agency Cluster programme, launched on Ariane V in 2000. He then worked in the field of welding technology at Cranfield University on a variety of TIG, MIG and plasma arc welding projects until 1999, when he joined Isotek. Neil is at the heart of Isotek’s projects, working on everything from materials analysis to detailed process research and development and testing both on-site and offshore. His ground-breaking work is often done right alongside our product development, where his results and recommendations are used to inform practical design and operation.

Professor J D Rhodes CBE, FRS, FR Eng

Chairman

Professor David Rhodes has a long and distinguished career in engineering, two highlights of which were receiving an OBE and a CBE. He graduated from the University of Leeds, receiving a B.Sc., a Ph.D., and a Sc.D. in 1964, 1966, and 1974. David also has an Honorary D.Eng. degree from Leeds and further honorary degrees from Bradford and Napier Universities. He is now an Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds and a fellow of the IEEE, IET, RAE, The Royal Society and the Academy of Engineering (USA).

David founded Filtronic plc in 1977. He has been awarded many prestigious prizes for engineering and export and has sat on government appointed committees dealing with different aspects of engineering including nuclear energy, alternative energy sources and education. He continues working in engineering research, as well as taking on new challenges such as devising schemes to minimise the risk of flooding in areas with underlying geological formations that engender high levels of natural water run-off.